Why the Jussie Smollett hoax is bad for blacks, gays, Democrats, the media and the country

From an article on Thursday: “It’s been roughly 12 hours since the last time we wrote about the racist and homophobic attack launched against Empire star Jussie Smollett on the streets of Chicago last month—i.e., just long enough for this entire story to get thoroughly buried in a wave of confusion, misinformation, and increasingly high-volume competing accounts.”

On Jan. 29, Jussie Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon, the openly gay heir to the show’s hip-hop record label throne, was allegedly attacked in a baroque hate crime. He told police that his attackers immediately identified him as a gay actor from “Empire,” then proceeded to yell racial and homophobic slurs, shout “this is MAGA country,” pour an unknown chemical on him and place a noose around his neck. The story has since become even more complicated: The Chicago police questioned two Nigerian brothers, one of whom said that he played a small part on “Empire,” about their possible role in the attack. As of this writing, the department is seeking to interview Smollett again; he has hired a criminal defense attorney.

I wanted to believe Smollett. I really did. I know that there is a deep, dark racist history in Chicago and, if proved true, this would be just one more point on the list. I wanted to believe him with every fiber of my being, most of all because the consequences if he were lying were almost too awful to contemplate.

Over the past few hours, there have been speculations that have confirmed my worst fears.Unnamed “police sources” have claimed that Smollett orchestrated the entire thing.

If Smollett’s story is found to be untrue, it will cause irreparable damage to the communities most affected. Smollett would be the first example skeptics cite when they say we should be dubious of victims who step forward to share their experiences of racist hate crimes or sexual violence. The incident would be touted as proof that there is a leftist conspiracy to cast Trump supporters as violent, murderous racists. It would be the very embodiment of “fake news.”

And that reason, more than any other, is why I need this story to be true, despite its ugliness and despite what it would say about the danger of the world I live in. The damage done would be too deep and long-lasting. This could be one tragedy that the Lyon family — and more importantly, the ordinary people who loved the show and invested in Smollett and his character — could never overcome.

The Washington Post NEEDS this story to be true.

We need America to be a racist, bigoted, homophobic country?

There is a ton of truth in Mumford’s fear that this and other types of hoaxes cause harm to the real case, the real victims of crimes, of hate crimes; hence, the outrage from the right-wing, Republicans and conservatives for years over Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the misreporting on the Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin case as well as the myth making surrounding the Matthew Shepard murder.

When news of the “attack” broke last month, Democratic presidential contenders clamored to denounce it as a horrific manifestation of racism and bigotry in America.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called it a “modern-day lynching.”

Yesterday Booker was given some cover to recant his absurd statement: “The information is still coming out. I’m going to withhold until all the information actually comes out from on the record sources,” Booker said.

“No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin,” said Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery.

This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called the incident “a sickening and outrageous attack, and horribly, it’s the latest of too many hate crimes against LGBTQ people and people of color.”

House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who wrote on the day of the attack: ‘The racist, homophobic attack on @JussieSmollett is an affront to our humanity. No one should be attacked for who they are or whom they love. I pray that Jussie has a speedy recovery & that justice is served. May we all commit to ending this hate once & for all.'”

President Trump also condemned it, saying “it’s horrible,” and “It doesn’t get worse.”

The truth and powerful reality of the case was best summarized by Project Islamic Hope Director and CEO Najee Ali.

photo/ Gerd Altmann via pixabay

“Jussie Smollett put people’s lives at risk and could have created a situation that was much more damaging to those who are African-American and those who do identify with the LGBTQ community. We have many members of the black community and the LGBTQ community who have been the victims of hate crimes. So for Smollett to say that he was a victim of racism and hate crimes — and we believe that is a lie — certainly is an injustice to those true victims of racism and hate crimes,” Ali added.

“Jussie Smollett must be brought to justice for lying,” Ali said. “We believed Smollett at the beginning. We gave him the benefit of the doubt, but over the last few days, we’ve seen this campaign of lies by Smollett continue to be unraveled.”

There is nothing good coming out of the story other than the horrific reflection of a nation at odds with itself. The moral compass is being abandoned for political and emotional reasons. There were never enough facts in the case revealed to warrant the blind support of Smollett, let alone the use of terms like “lynching” or “homophobic attack.”

The media treated the case in the same way it treated Brett Kavanaugh…with a biased heavy-handed levy of the intersectional calculator, judging people based on the presumed victims.

Why would the Washington Post want this to be true?

Because it fits the evil narrative of judging large swathes of people you despise politically. At the root of this is the blind hatred of a president and his supporters. There is a vile perspective on the world that disagrees with the Hollywood and media narrative.

In the end, Jussie Smollett showed America who we really are: a nation who should be ashamed of itself.

About the Author

Brandon Jones - Writer and Co-Founder of The Global Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news, offering commentary for years, beginning professionally in 2003 on Crazed Fanboy before expanding into other blogs and sites.
Appearing on several radio shows, Brandon has hosted Dispatch Radio, written his first novel (The Rise of the Templar) and completed the three years Global University program in Ministerial Studies to be a pastor.
To Contact Brandon email [email protected] ATTN: BRANDON

This website uses cookies to provide you with the best browsing experience.

Find out more or adjust your settings.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

disable

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.